As the days slipped by, days turned into weeks, and weeks into months. Before long, the sixth month arrived, and with it came the first breath of winter. Snow and ice blanketed the entire kingdom of Usgúrd, just as they had covered the neighboring kingdoms, wrapping the lands in a cold, silent white.
During that time, Zelda and Maria had managed to gather an army of fifteen thousand monsters of various kinds under their banner.
Among their ranks were three thousand orcs, towering creatures with sap-green skin. They had been gathered from the Warren Orc Lands within the Dead Lands, a region lying southeast of Endomiya. Once scattered among dozens upon dozens of fractured tribes, the orcs had been brought under one banner after Zelda slew seventy percent of their kind in a brutal display of might, forcing the survivors into obedience.
Two thousand goblins, tiny green creatures no larger than six-year-old children, had come from the Caverns of Msura, an ancient labyrinth that had once housed a dragon long since dead. The endless caverns twisted like a maze beneath the earth. They had joined the cause after Zelda killed their leaders, while those who fled were captured and skinned alive as a warning to the rest.
The largest contingent consisted of five thousand kobolds. These fox-like bipedal monsters, whose intelligence rivaled that of humans, hailed from a small autonomous kobold territory. Their allegiance had been secured after Zelda buried their Kobold King alive and later hanged his corpse upside down for all to see.
Another two thousand were Dire Wolves. Dozens of packs had been recruited throughout their journey, while many others joined willingly as word spread across the Dead Lands. The presence of a Greater Dire Wolf among their ranks had only strengthened their reputation, inspiring even more beasts to answer their call.
The final three thousand were undead personally created by Zelda. Fashioned from the bones of various monsters, each possessed a different shape and appearance, forming a grotesque host unlike any other.
However, not all fifteen thousand were warriors. With the exception of the undead and the goblins, many among the rest were cooks, craftsmen, mothers and their children, as well as the wives of some of the fighters. Once such individuals were excluded, their actual fighting force numbered around nine thousand, while the remainder carried supplies and performed the countless tasks required to keep such a massive host functioning.
Now, the army marched toward Rodesia, a border town in the west, beyond which stretched the Grim Lands, a vast and perilous wilderness infested with powerful monsters. Despite its dangers, an important trade route passed through the region, linking Usgúrd with neighboring kingdoms, independent principalities, and autonomous cities.
Their objective was simple.
Capture Rodesia.
And in doing so, sever one of the Democratic Ascendancy's most vital arteries.
Once they captured Rodesia, they would see how many humans would be willing to join their army. At least seven hundred thousand people lived within the city, and Zelda and Maria were certain that Democratic Ascendancy soldiers were stationed there as well. Their presence would make things somewhat more difficult, but nevertheless, Rodesia would serve as the army's first true battle.
Zelda lightly tugged on the reins of the Dire Wolf he rode. His crimson eyes drifted toward the sky, where dark clouds had begun to gather overhead. The wind had grown noticeably colder, carrying with it the sharp scent of snow and ice.
A lone snowflake landed softly upon his left cheek.
"A storm is coming," he muttered. "And it will be a heavy one."
Maria pulled her cloak tighter around herself and cast a glance at the darkening heavens, feeling the biting wind brush against her face.
Zelda soon raised a hand, and the entire host ground to a halt. A series of practiced signals passed through the ranks, and orders quickly spread from one group to another.
Almost immediately, thousands of monsters sprang into action.
Tents were unloaded, fires prepared, and supplies organized with surprising efficiency. Within little more than an hour, hundreds upon hundreds of large tents had been erected across the snow-covered plain, transforming the empty wilderness into a sprawling camp of canvas and flickering firelight.
As the last of the preparations were completed, a deep rumble echoed across the heavens above.
And before long, the storm descended upon them.
Snowflakes fell from the darkened skies, soon becoming a relentless curtain of white. Fierce winds howled across the plain, rattling tents and sending loose snow swirling through the camp, while the world beyond the glow of the campfires vanished beneath the fury of the blizzard.
Inside the largest tent, Maria sat quietly, holding a cup of warm water in both hands and taking small sips from it. The faint crackle of the brazier and the muffled roar of the storm outside were the only sounds that reached her ears.
Standing guard outside the tent were undead, unmoving silhouettes amidst the raging blizzard. Unaffected by the biting cold, they served as tireless sentinels around the camp. A number of kobolds had also been assigned to guard duty around the other tents, many standing alongside the undead. Among the living, the fox-like monsters possessed the greatest resistance to the cold, second only to the undead, who were completely immune to it.
A moment later, Zelda stepped into the tent, his clothes covered in snow. As soon as he entered, he dusted the white flakes from his cloak and shoulders before making his way inside.
"It seems the storm will not let up for another two days or so."
Maria took a sip from her cup before setting it down upon the table.
"Can you change the weather?"
"I'd rather not. We're very close to Rodesia, and if there are mages stationed in the town, they might sense such a large-scale phenomenon."
He had made that mistake once, two thousand years ago. It had cost him his food, stolen by the hands of another demon. He had no intention of repeating the same mistake. A demon who failed to learn from his mistakes was no demon at all, no different from a dead demon.
He walked over to the bed and sat down upon it. A moment later, he laid himself back, staring up at the ceiling of the tent as the muffled howling of the blizzard echoed outside.
His mind was occupied with hundreds upon hundreds of strategies and plans. He thought of how he would seize the town, and what he would do afterward. Throughout these past six months, he had often wondered what would happen if all of this—this long-term investment and countless preparations—failed to achieve their purpose.
Even now, as the storm raged beyond the canvas walls, his thoughts never strayed far from that possibility.
"Hey, Zed," Maria called, drawing his attention back to her. "I've been wondering about something. Can a demon have a relationship with someone of another race?"
Zelda wondered how he should answer that. Demons generally did not mingle with races they considered inferior to themselves. Most saw humans, elves, and the like as food, no different from how a person might view an animal, and many regarded such relationships as no different from bestiality. Of course, there were always those who simply did not care for such notions.
"If you're speaking of physical relationships, then yes, demons do have them," he replied. "But more often than not, it is simply to satisfy lust or to enjoy the feeling of overpowering an inferior being, usually one of the opposite sex from a lesser race. Nothing more."
The concept of consent held little meaning in demon society. Strength alone determined right and wrong, and those with power imposed their will upon the weak, seeking domination and degradation on a level no physical torture could hope to match. Such fates most often befell the females of other races rather than the males.
Cases involving female demons were almost unheard of. Unlike their male counterparts, they were far more contemptuous of lesser beings. To them, males of inferior races were insignificant creatures, akin to insects or bacteria. Most female demons found the very notion so beneath them that it never even crossed their minds.
"And does the same thing happen with the same sex?"
"Not at all."
Demons neither engaged in nor held any particular favor toward same-sex relationships. From a survival standpoint, they saw no benefit in them for the continuation of the species, unless they belonged to races like slimes, which could reproduce by themselves. Then again, such thinking was rooted in the survival and prosperity of demonkind, and as a demon, he was no different.
That said, there were exceptions. Some demons did engage in such relations, though more often than not it involved other races and was done for the sake of degradation, amusement, or simply as a side indulgence.
"Have you ever forced yourself upon a woman?" Maria asked.
"Yes," he said. "It was Vivian's sister."
His answer came without hesitation. He cared little for what Maria might think of him. He was a demon, after all. Throughout his long existence, he had committed all manner of acts befitting his kind.
"Sometimes I really forget just how evil you truly are..."